London, 22 March 2997 - Early this year the UK Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street accepted a petition to be opened in its official internet website under titled `Somaliland e-petition' and is where any citizen of UK can sign in petition for the Prime Minister Tony Blair to `officially give Somaliland a full recognition status'. The petition had a date of expiration, which was 21 March 2007.

All those who successfully registered their signatures were sent emails from the Prime Minister's Office informing them of the Prime Minister's reply to the petition. The text below is such email sent to Somaliland Times from UK signatory of the petition.

All in all over 1,900 signatures were recorded by those wanting Tony Blair to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state by his government. The email said:

You recently signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "Recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state."

The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition as the following.

Somaliland - epetition reply

22 March 2007

We received a petition asking:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state."

Details of petition:

"Somaliland's population have succeeded in creating a working democracy in the north of the Somalia. Yet their attempts at gaining international recognition have fallen on deaf ears."

The Government's response

The Government does not recognize Somaliland as an independent state, neither does the rest of the international community. The UK has signed up to a common EU position and to many UN Security Council Presidential Statements, which refer to the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia. Nevertheless, the UK is aware of the position of the Somaliland authorities and of opinion within Somaliland. Our policy has long been that the Somalis themselves should determine their future relationship and that their neighbors and African countries should take the lead in recognizing any new arrangements which emerge from any dialogue.

The Government has urged Somaliland and the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia to engage in dialogue so that a mutually acceptable solution for their future relationship can be agreed. We are also encouraging the AU to explore the issue further with the parties and key players in the region.

Source: The Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. London W1